1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a device (such as a semiconductor elemental device, photo-imaging elemental device, flat panel display device such as a LCD (liquid crystal display) element device, a PDP (plasma display panel) element device, EL (electroluminescent) display element device, FED (field emission display) element device, Electric Paper display element device etc., thin film magnetic head elemental device, and so forth) that uses a projection exposure apparatus at the time of photo-transferring a mask pattern onto a substrate within the process of lithography for manufacturing the device, wherein the projection optical system for projecting the image of the pattern of the first object onto the second object and the projection optical system thereof are provided.
2. Description of the Related Art
When manufacturing a semiconductor elemental device or so forth, a projection exposure apparatus in a scanning exposure format is used like that of a batch exposure format or the step-and-scan method where a stepper is used to transfer an image of a reticle pattern through a projection optical system as a mask onto a wafer (or glass plate or so forth) that has a photo resist applied thereon. Further, in accordance with the advancement of the refining of patterns such as that of a semiconductor integrated circuit, the demand for increased performance in the projection optical system used in these projection exposure apparatuses is growing, especially in regards to the improvement of the resolving power of a projection optical system. In order to improve this resolving power, the shortening of the exposure wavelength or the increasing of the numerical aperture (N.A.) can be conceived.
With the projection exposure apparatus described above, the i line (365 nm) from the g line (436 nm) of the mercury vapor lamp is used as the exposure light with recent trends moving towards a shorter wavelength. For this reason, a projection optical system that can be used in conjunction with a short wavelength exposure light is being developed.
Furthermore, in conjunction with the improvement of the resolving power, the demand for minimized image warping in projection optical systems is ever increasing. In addition to that caused by distortion, which originates in the projection optical system, there is image warping that is caused by the bend of the wafer that is printed by the image side of the projection optical system as well as that caused by the bend of the reticle drawn by the circuit pattern on the object side of the projection optical system.
In recent years, the refinement of the transferred pattern is increasingly advanced, and the demand for minimized image warping is ever increasing. Therefore, in order to reduce the effect on the image warping due to the bend of the wafer, a so-called image-side telecentric optical system has been conventionally used that places the image side exit pupil position of the projection optical system farther away.
Meanwhile, in regard to the reduction of the image warping due to the bend of the reticle, a so-called object-side telecentric optical system can be conceived that places the entrance pupil position of the projection optical system farther away from the object plane, and there are proposals for moving the entrance pupil position of the projection optical system comparatively farther away in this manner.
In order to improve the resolving power, the problem lies in the reduction of the transmission factor of the glass material constitutes the projection optical system when using an exposure light with a short wavelength, and in the limited availability of glass material that can be used to secure a high transmission factor. Furthermore, the reduction of the transmission factor is not due exclusively to the loss of the amount of light. Rather, because a portion of the lost light is absorbed into the glass material and through its conversion to heat energy, the refractive index of the glass material of the lens changes or the shape of the lens surface changes, thereby resulting in a reduction of the performance of image formation and especially causing fluctuation in the aberration in the exposure. Moreover, the aberration fluctuation in the exposure is also a reverse phenomenon since it disappears when the heat energy in the lens composition disappears after completing exposure, or in other words, when the heated lens cools.
The advantages and purposes of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Moreover, the advantages and purposes of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The present invention takes into account the exemplary problems described above in providing a compact yet high performance projection optical system that is extremely favorable in correcting distortion, various aberrations, and maintaining a sufficiently large numerical aperture as well as a broad exposure area while minimizing the reduction in image formation performance due to the absorption by the glass material used, and it is telecentric relative to both sides.
To solve the exemplary problems described above, the present invention provides, in a projection optical system for projecting the pattern of a first object onto a second object, in order from the first object side, a first lens group having a positive refractive power, a second lens group having a negative refractive power, a third lens group having a positive refractive power, a fourth lens group having a negative refractive power, and a fifth lens group having a positive refractive power and which provides at least two negative lenses.
The first lens group, while maintaining telecentricity, mainly contributes to the correction of the distortion. The second lens group and the fourth lens group contribute mainly to the correction of the Petzval sum and achieve desired flattening of the image plane. Further, the third lens group, in conjunction with the first lens group, generates positive distortion thereby performing the function of correcting the negative distortion generated by the second, fourth and fifth lens groups. In addition, the third lens group and the second lens group, when viewed from the second object, are composed of a telephoto system having a positive and negative refractive power arrangement, and on account of this, have a function that prevents the elongation of the entire projection optical system. The fifth lens group, in order to sufficiently respond to the high numerical aperture at the second object side, suppresses the generation of distortion by maintaining a state of extreme avoidance of especially spherical aberration and thereby performs the role of image formation by leading the luminous flux to the second object.
Further, it is favorable when the present invention satisfies the following conditional expressions (1), (2), (3), and (4). The fifth lens group includes a first lens, two lens surfaces of the first lens satisfy the following condition (1):
xcfx861/xcfx86expxe2x89xa63.5,xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1)
the first lens made of a first material having a refractive index that satisfies the following condition (2):
n1xe2x89xa61.57,xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2)
where xcfx86exp is a diameter of an exposure area on the second object; xcfx861 is a diameter of a clear aperture of the two lens surfaces of the first lens; and n1 is a refractive index of the first lens. Further, the radius of the clear aperture indicates the distance from the optical axis to the point where reach the reverse traced marginal ray of the beam has the maximum numerical aperture, from the peripheral point of the maximum exposure area where practically corrected aberrations (clear aperture diameter of a lens surface indicates a diameter of a circle including an area of section of a whole beam which pass through the lens surface). Moreover, the exposure area indicates the area defined by the circle where the length of the diagonal line of the short exposure area, or in other words, the area defined by that short exposure area inscribed by or included within the circle. The exposure area diameter indicates the diameter of the circular exposure area described above.
Preferably, the glass (i.e., optical glass) material has a better transmission factor in the short wavelength area than general glass material having a low refractive index. Moreover, the position of the lens that satisfies conditional expression (1) can be regarded as a high energy density of exposure light position. Since a lens having exposure light with a high energy density secures a higher transmission factor, a glass material having a refractive index that satisfies the conditional expression (2) is used. Accordingly, the reduction of the image formation performance that occurs on account of the reduction of the transmission factor can be suppressed.
On the other hand, the use of a glass material having a refractive index that exceeds the upper limit value of conditional expression (2) as the lens having exposure light with a high energy density which satisfies conditional expression (1), is not favorable because it leads to the reduction of the image formation performance, which occurs due to the reduction in the transmission factor.
Furthermore, with the present invention, the entire projection optical system preferably includes a second lens with two lens surfaces that satisfy the following condition (3):
xcfx862/xcfx86exp greater than 3.5,xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(3)
where xcfx862 is a diameter of a clear aperture of the two lens surfaces of the second lens, the second lens made of a second material has a refractive index (n2) that satisfies the following condition (4):
n greater than 1.57.xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(4)
By providing a composition that has 1 or more lenses of a lens that satisfy conditional expression (4) in a lens that is comparatively low in energy density of the exposure light that satisfies conditional expression (3), the refractive power in the entire projection optical system is improved. In this way, favorable aberration correction is possible and a compact optical system can be obtained. Conversely, by providing a lens that does not completely satisfy conditional expression (4) but is comparatively low in energy density of the exposure light that satisfies conditional expression (3), the refractive power in the entire projection optical system is unable to be increased, which leads to unfavorable elongation of the projection optical system.
In addition, the present invention preferably satisfies the following conditional expression
t5xe2x80x2/t5xe2x89xa70.2,xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(5)
where the parameter t5 is defined as the sum of the thickness along the optical axis of all of the lenses constituting the fifth lens group described above, and the parameter t5xe2x80x2 is defined as the sum of the thickness along the optical axis of a first lens in the fifth lens group described above.
Conditional expression (5) regulates the ratio of the sums of thickness of the glass material used to raise the transmission factor since the energy density of exposure light is comparatively high in relation to the sum of the thickness of the glass material in the fifth lens group that performs the function of image formation and which leads the beam onto the second object. By satisfying the conditional expression (5), it becomes possible to suppress the reduction of the image formation performance that occurs due to the reduction of the transmission factor. Exceeding the upper limit value of conditional expression (5) leads to a reduction of the image formation performance that occurs due to the reduction of the transmission factor.
Moreover, with the present invention, f1 designates the focal length of the first lens group; and f2 designates the focal length of the second lens group; and f3 designates the focal length of the third lens group; and f4 designates the focal length of the fourth lens group; and f5 designates the focal length of the fifth lens group; and L designates the axial distance from the first object to the second object. Preferably, the present invention satisfies at least one of the following (6) through (10) conditions.
0.04 less than f1/L less than 0.4xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(6) 
0.015 less than xe2x88x92f2/L less than 0.15xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(7) 
0.02 less than f3/L less than 0.2xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(8) 
0.015 less than xe2x88x92f4/L less than 0.15xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(9) 
0.03 less than f5/L less than 0.3xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(10)
More preferably, the present invention operates most effectively when each of the conditions (6) through (10) described above are simultaneously satisfied.
Conditional expression (6) regulates the range of optimal refractive power for the first lens group. When exceeding the upper limit value of conditional expression (6), the positive distortion generated by the first lens group becomes less able to correct the negative distortion generated by the second, fourth and fifth lens groups and is therefore unfavorable. When falling below the lower limit value of the conditional expression (6), this becomes the cause of the generated higher order positive distortion and is therefore not favorable.
Conditional expression (7) regulates the range of optimal refractive power for the second lens group. When exceeding the upper limit value of conditional expression (7), the correction of the Petzval sum becomes insufficient and it becomes more difficult to achieve the flattening of the image plane. Therefore, exceeding such an upper limit is unfavorable. Conversely, when falling below the lower limit of conditional expression (7), the generation of negative distortion becomes larger, thereby making it more difficult to favorably correct this larger negative distortion with only the first and third lens groups. As a result, falling below this lower limit is also not favorable.
Conditional expression (8) regulates the range of optimal refractive power for the third lens group. When exceeding the upper limit value of conditional expression (8), the telephoto ratio of the telephoto system formed by the combination of the second lens group and the third lens group becomes larger, and in addition to leading to the elongation of the entire projection optical system, the generated amount of positive distortion generated by the third lens group becomes smaller thereby becoming less effective in favorably correcting the negative distortion generated by the second, fourth and fifth lens groups, and therefore is not favorable. Conversely, when falling below the lower limit value of the conditional expression (8), high order spherical aberration is generated thereby making it not possible to obtain favorable image formation performance on the second object and therefore is not favorable.
Conditional expression (9) regulates the range of optimal refractive power for the fourth lens group. When exceeding the upper limit value of conditional expression (9), the correction of the Petzval sum becomes insufficient and it becomes more difficult to achieve the flattening of the image plane and therefor it is unfavorable. Conversely, falling below the lower limit of conditional expression (9) causes the generation of a high order spherical aberration and a comatic aberration and therefore is not favorable.
Moreover, conditional expression (10) regulates the range of optimal refractive power for the fifth lens group. When exceeding the upper limit value of conditional expression (10), the refractive power of the entire fifth lens group becomes too weak, thereby leading to the elongation of the entire projection optical system and therefore is not favorable. Conversely, falling below the lower limit value of conditional expression (10) generated a high order spherical aberration thereby leading to a reduction in the image contrast on the second object and therefore is not favorable.
Furthermore, the present invention preferably employs at least one negative lens in the fifth lens group that satisfies the following conditional expression
xcfx865n/xcfx865maxxe2x89xa70.7,xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(11)
where xcfx865n designates the maximum clear aperture diameter among clear apertures of negative lenses in the fifth lens group, and xcfx865max is designated as the maximum clear aperture diameter among the clear apertures of a plurality of lenses in the fifth lens group.
By the clear aperture diameter of at least one negative lens included in the fifth lens group satisfying the conditional expression (11), the negative spherical aberration generated by the fifth lens group is effectively corrected thereby making it possible for a high contrast image to be formed on the second object. On the other hand, if the clear aperture of at least one negative lens included in the fifth lens group were to fall below the lower limit of the conditional expression (11), the negative spherical aberration generated by the fifth lens group could not be corrected, thereby leading to a reduction in the contrast of the image on the second object and therefore it is not favorable.
Furthermore, the present invention preferably operates when the following conditional expression.
F/Lxe2x89xa70.6,xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(12)
is satisfied. Here, F represents the focal length of the projection optical system, and L refers to the distance from the first object to the second object. Conditional expression (12) regulates the condition for establishing both-sided telecentricity (bi-telecentricity). By satisfying conditional expression (12), it becomes possible to achieve an optical system that does not generate image distortion even if there is bending in the reticle and wafer.
Further, the present invention provides a projection exposure apparatus comprising a first stage for holding the mask for the first object, and an illumination optical system for illuminating the mask, and a second stage for holding the substrate for the second object, and a projection optical system for projecting and exposing the image of the pattern of the illuminated mask onto the substrate from the illumination optical system.
Since the projection optical system according to the present invention provides both-sided telecentricity and a large numerical aperture, in conjunction with being capable of obtaining a high resolution, the projection magnification does not change even if there is curving in the mask or substrate. Furthermore, since a broad exposure area can be obtained, a large pattern can be exposed at once. Moreover, by the use of a glass material having a high transmission factor with a low refractive index, the reduction to the image formation performance occurring due to the absorption by the glass material can be suppressed, thereby achieving a high image formation performance.
Additionally, the present invention provides a device manufacturing method comprised so as to have a process for applying photo-sensitive material onto a substrate as the second object, and a process for projecting the image of the pattern of the mask of the first object through the projection optical system described in claims 1 or 2 onto the substrate, and a process for developing the photo-sensitive material onto the substrate, and a process for forming a predetermined circuit pattern onto the substrate as a mask of the photo-sensitive material subsequent to developing. By the use of the projection exposure apparatus of the present invention, a circuit pattern for use with a device can be formed with a high resolution onto a substrate.